Minister for Defence Tony Killeen has defended the decision to withdraw more than 400 Irish troops from the United Nations (UN) peace enforcement mission, Minurcat, in Chad.
Mr Killeen said the Government had indicated for months they were concerned about the extension of the UN mandate and there were “legislative considerations” with regards the mission.
The decision to withdraw the troops has raised eyebrows at UN headquarters in New York, with sources arguing that the move could have a negative impact on continuing talks with Chadian authorities over the future of the force.
The UN Security Council recently renewed Minurcat’s mandate until May 15th to allow time for talks on the future of the mission, which is tasked with protecting Darfuri refugees and displaced Chadians as well as facilitating humanitarian assistance.
Speaking to RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Mr Killeen said he had spoken to UN Under Secretary General Alain Le Roy as recently as Monday to outline his concerns and seek clarity an extension was likely.
Mr Killeen said while there was an indication there might be some hope of a diminished mandate with reduced numbers Mr Le Roy was “not in a position to give a strong indication that the mandate would be extended”.
He said: “My intention would be to have our troops available for UN missions but it is obviously an absolute requirement that there be a UN mandate in place and in this instance the mandate runs out in six weeks time.
“We haven’t been able to get any kind of strong indication that it will be continued after that and in those circumstances we really have no choice but to consider the safety of our people.
“It’s quite a military challenge to remove the troops and equipment and the advice was that it will take a minimum of six months to do an orderly withdrawal.”
Mr Killeen said although the decision has been made he will keep the matter “under review for the longest possible time”.
He said should Mr Le Roy be in a position within a “week or two at the very most” to give an indication that progress is being made he would be “happy to look at the situation” again.
Earlier, PDforra - the association representing soldiers - called on the Minister to reconsider his decision.
PDforra deputy general secretary Simon Devereux said the association is “bitterly disappointed” with the decision and has “rarely received as many calls from members on a single issue”.
Mr Deveraux said although he could understand why the Minister had made his decision and “safety is paramount”, service overseas is important for both “moral and career development” within the army.
He said “If the mandate is to be extended beyond May 2010 then we would ask him to reconsider given there will be clarity going forward on the mandate.
Irish troops were deployed to Chad in May 2008 however, in recent months the country’s government has repeatedly said it wants the military component of Minurcat to leave.
A high-level UN team is in the capital N’Djamena for negotiations with Chad’s president Idriss Déby’s government.
A UN diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Irish Times that, given the talks are at a "critical juncture", the Irish decision to announce a withdrawal this week was ill-timed.
Fine Gael’s defence spokesman Jimmy Deenihan said the withdrawal would cause “untold damage” to Ireland's international reputation and urged the Minister to reconsider.
“Any concerns about the rainy season are far outweighed by the potential for the mandate to be renewed and the decision to withdraw must be re-visited," he said.
